|
|
Yahoo! Games - Video Game Myths: Fact or Fiction?
Did Sony originally develop the Playstation for Nintendo? Answer is in the article.
VideoGamesBlogger - Britain to use Wii’s in School for PE
It looks like the British government has decided that putting the Wii in schools is a great way to get students into exercising and physical fitness. They have announced a pilot scheme is in the pipeline that will do just that, make the Wii a part of the National Curriculum as reported by The Independent.
But not everyone is so enthusiastic about that idea (and I’m willing to bet none of the critics are gamers themselves either. Just a hunch). The chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, for example, has stated that the group claims it is “concerned about falling standards and damaging changes in state education . . . being forced through without any evidence to support them” and Nick Seaton added, “Pupils would be far better doing serious competitive sports and games than this sort of thing. It looks like another gimmick. It’s pandering to the views of the physically idle.”
GamePolitics - Fine Print: Lawers Get 1M, You Get (up to) $35 Bucks in Hot Coffee Deal
As the gaming press widely reported recently, Take Two has settled a class-action lawsuit filed against it in the wake of the 2005 Hot Coffee scandal.
Gaming Steve has dug into the fine print of the deal and discovered that the big winners are - surprise! - lawyers:
Any US citizen who was officially “offended and upset” by the ability to unlock [the Hot Coffee] content can now claim up to $35 in compensation. The exact amount you may be entitled depends upon directly upon how much documentation you have of your “outrage”…
Gamasutra - Video Games: Officially Art, in Europe
[The French government and European Commission have agreed in principle to fund tax credits for video games, due to their cultural importance - and Gamasutra tagged along with the French cultural minister and Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot to find out why it matters.]
A pen that was made from recycled gaming consoles? Cool.
MTV Multiplayer - When are you old enough for video games?
I wish someone had come up with this article before my younger brother was born. He’s been gaming since the age of three. That would generally be a good thing, but he didn’t spend time developing other necessary skills - like reading.
Is it seven? According to educational psychologist Jane Healy, who spoke at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, children should be kept away from video games until the age of seven to “allow their brains to develop normally.”
Video Game Media Watch - EA Requests Fox News Mass Effect Apology
Fox News Channel recently jumped the gun in proclaiming Mass Effect a hazard for teens and young ‘uns, citing gratuitous digital nudity found within the title. Electronic Arts, which owns Mass Effect developer BioWare, rightfully is having none of it and has issued a statement and request to Fox News.
As the parent company of BioWare, the studio which created the game, EA would like you to set the record straight on a number of errors and misstatements which incorrectly characterize the story and character interactions in Mass Effect.
What were the errors? The statement provided by EA and obtained by Kotaku outlines three primary errors within the FNC report: the headline, which says “New video game shows full nudity and sex”; a voice-over reporter proclaiming that “You’ll see full digital nudity and the ability for players to engage in graphic sex”; and a reporter opining that “Critics say Mass Effect is being marketed to kids and teenagers.”
Level Up - No Country for Old Gamers
Tagline: Your Grandmother Wants To Join Your Halo Clan. What Do You Do?
GamePolitics - New Bully Versions, Same Old Controversy
Rockstar’s Bully was the video game pariah of 2006.
The PlayStation 2 title was criticized by those who - wrongly - assumed that it cast the player in the aggressor’s role. Game industry nemesis Jack Thomson even took the game to court in Miami, where he sought - and failed - in an attempt to have it declared a public nuisance under Florida law.
Gamasutra - Catching Up Casually: A Chat with Alexey Pajitnov
While there, we also got the chance to speak with some of the key speakers at the conference — including Alexey Pajitnov, creator of Tetris, who was there to participate in a Q&A session following the presentation of the documentary Tetris: From Russia with Love. We engaged him to discuss the state of the casual game market, a form he helped to birth, as well as his current game projects and the storied history of Tetris.
Game Politics - PTC Threatens Politicians Who Accept Video Game Biz Contributions
The Parents Television Council wasted little time in announcing that it would target elected officials who accept contributions from the ESA’s new political action committee (PAC). In a press release, PTC president Tim Winter (left) said:
Let me be clear of our intentions: Any public servant who cashes a check from the video game industry will be exposed by the PTC as taking a stand against families, and his or her actions will be communicated to constituents in his or her congressional district.
Heroine Sheik - Unreal Tournament 3 is Everything Wrong with Gaming
Unreal Tournament III represents everything that’s wrong with video games today. Just looking at the screenshots for the latest installment in the Unreal series, I’m not sure whether to laugh, cry, or pound my head into the first available wall. Come on, industry, these are the games we pour our sweat and blood into? Come on gamers, these are the titles we work ourselves up over? And we wonder why we have such an impossible time getting video games cred as an artistic medium.
Kotaku - New Wii Colors Coming Sooner Rather than Never?
Nothing to get excited over - just a shop clerks’ observation. But still.
Kotaku - SeXbox will be Bigger in Japan
*Sigh* Boo to more sexualized school girls, a half-thumb up to capitalism and innovation. And Kotaku is probably right - the SeXbox most likely will outsell the XBox. Microsoft should be hanging their heads in shame.
Girl in the Machine - Inevitable Feminimity
And then Activision came along. While playing GH III, I read from Casey’s profile that she decided to take a more feminine approach to her look. While there is nothing inherently wrong with choosing to be more feminine, it’s the way in which her profile worded this change: she is described as “finally discovering her feminine side.”
Let that sink in. “Finally.” She “finally” discovered her feminine side. It’s only one word, but it speaks volumes. By including this word, Activision is suggesting to us that because Casey is a woman, it was only a matter of time before she would shed her “dirty,” “growly” ways and take on a more feminine persona.
Level Up - Objection: The Fault, Dear GameSetWatch, is Not in Our Metacritics but in Ourselves.
All Metacritic does is provide a quick summary of what the reviewing establishment had to say about a game. To use it as a consumer guide–heck, even using a single review score as such–is as pointless as using Ebert’s raised or lowered thumb alone to determine whether or not to see a movie. The body of his review, and of reviews in general, is where people should begin. It’s in reading those lines of copy–and in the case of games whose play styles may diverge from those preferred by the majority of reviewers, reading between the lines–that players can best judge whether or not they may enjoy a particular game.
Heroine Sheik - Naked and Sticky: Gamings Favorite Female Characters
Bonnie discovers a fan art site dedicated to girls in games. Unfortunately, a lot of that fan art is considered NSFW.
PlayGirlz Gaming Blog - Pacifist Avatars Can Still Play WoW
Object to all the blood-shed and gang murder in World of Warcraft? Simply want to play the game and help people, rather than inflicting life threatening injuries? Totally possible. All it takes is a fishing rod and good aim. Not only can these peace-loving avatars simply play WoW and enjoy themselves, but they’re aiming to level up to 70 using their very unconventional play style.
Joystiq - Wii Fit Has Sold 1M Units in Japan
Will someone please release the Wii Fit over here ASAP? I need to get my yoga on!
Joystiq - Kaz Hirai: PS3 Could Be Profitable Next Fiscal Year
Time to give up the ghost y’all. Next launch, let’s think “awesome” AND “affordable.” I still haven’t figured out what bill to sacrifice to get my PS3.
Kotaku - Pikmin Ready to Beat up Super Smash Bros.
Pikmin vs. Jigglypuff deathmatch!
VGM Watch - Publishers Get a Taste of “Shoe”
“According to Hsu, Midway’s Mortal Kombat development team, Sony’s sports game division, and Ubisoft have all allegedly banned EGM from further coverage of their products. The reason: Apparently, they didn’t take too kindly to EGM’s review coverage of their games. Still, Hsu maintains that EGM “won’t treat these products or companies any differently.” We have yet to confirm these allegations with the publishers mentioned. However, if the editorial’s claims are accurate, VGMWatch.com is certainly disappointed with these publishers’ behavior. As corporations, publishers have every right to ban any publication they want for poor coverage. But that doesn’t make it right. Gamers should feel disrespected as well.”
Hat tip to Kotaku.
Kotaku - Iron Chef Game Announced
I have no words. Ok wait, I have a few: bite the green pepper death match!
This is a great piece for those looking at being hired in the gaming industry. Find out what the person on the other side of the desk is looking for in a candidate.
“Residents of the always politically-aware Second Life metaverse have constructed a memorial to assassinated Pakistani political figure Benazir Bhutto.”
“Rape is a tricky thing to incorporate into any fictive medium. It’s violent and ugly and terrible — and very real. I definitely do not doubt Harlan Ellison’s writing prowess, either. However, what makes me uncomfortable about the inclusion of rape in a woman’s backstory is that it’s such a go-to motivation for fleshing out female characters. She’s weak because she was raped; she wants revenge because she was raped; etc., etc. We see it so often (admittedly more in written fiction and comics rather than video games) that it’s become cliche.”
“After finding “Soldier of Fortune: Payback” among my stack of games that were released around that time, I noticed something interesting advertised on the box … specifically, a “low-violence” option. The white text, outlined in a red border read:
WARNING!!! Violent Subject Matter. Low-Violence Option Included
Since the “Soldier of Fortune” games have been known for their excessive violence, I was curious as to why they would advertise the low violence option (was it to appease parents or entice gamers?).”
Video game music + remixing = a happy Latoya. Check out Lake Desire’s picks and a few new resources for finding game music with a twist.
“Politically, this puts her in company with Republican Mitt Romney on the subject of game censorship. Her fellow Democrats are content to let the industry self-regulate. “
Hello All,
This blog has kind of been on and off in 2007, but my goal for 2008 is to make sure it has weekly updates and fresh content. Stay tuned!
|
Copyright © 2007 - July 5, 2008 Iris Gaming Network.
|
